#FinTwit: Making Twitter (or any social media) Work For You

I’m often asked: “how do I build a name for myself on [insert social media platform of choice].”

Presumably the questioner views me as an expert. I don’t feel like one. But social media unquestionably has been good to me, my career, and my friendships, so I guess my opinion matters.

Since I feel like most of my social media domain experience is on Twitter and StockTwits, lets talk about becoming a “Twitter expert.”

It is more art than science.

What has worked for me over the years is to consistently share great content from others that I come across, in effect making myself a good resource for quality content. Of course, not everything I share is brilliant or insightful, and in fact a lot of my personal comments are banal, annoying bullshit, and often not about trading or markets at all 😉

But sharing great stuff from others (giving them credit, of course), and engaging in smart conversations with smart people always increases visibility. I do all this stuff, but its because I’m genuinely interested. I don’t really have “a plan” or a desired outcome. And I’m certainly not trying to hold myself out as someone or something I’m not. I just engage with what I find interesting, and over time that has built a small but meaningful audience for me and it has created opportunities for me to meet some of my heroes and to form important friendships and partnerships that likely never would’ve happened if it had not been for my social media “presence.”

In short, just like trading, it takes time, consistency of effort, patience, and perseverance. There are no overnight successes in trading or social media branding.

One thing I will recommend is to always make every effort to be yourself. This may sound like commonsense to some, but you’d be surprised how many people come on twitter or instagram trying to pretend to be someone or something they are not. Even if you can pull this off, the “payoff” is rarely worthwhile. You’re not living true to yourself and just creating unnecessary inner conflict that wears on you.

Also, some are attracted to the idea of creating an anonymous persona. I would highly encourage you to dissuade yourself of this notion. Some have done an amazing job of it and when done right, the effect can be spectacular — but that takes a really specific skill set and you better be damn good at it or you just come off as a schmuck. Three of the best examples on twitter I can think of are @The_Real_Fly,@RampCapitalLLC, and previously @MayorEmanuel (RIP). But for everyone of those three guys, there are thousands who have tried and failed miserably. Best to just be you.

When done right, building a “brand” for yourself or your business on social media can be very powerful and rewarding. But don’t over think it. Be you. Be consistent. Be patient. The rewards will come.